WPA

Launched in 1935 during the depths of the Depression, the Works Progress Administration ranks among the largest federal employment efforts in American history. At its height it put nearly 3.5 million people to work, and across its eight years it employed more than eight million in total. Its projects ranged from roads and public buildings to oral history collections and murals.

Sandra Opdycke traces the economic crisis that gave rise to the agency and follows the program from its beginnings to its end. Her concise narrative is accompanied by primary source documents and an online companion site. The WPA also serves as a window onto the New Deal, the lead-up to American entry into World War II, and the continuing debate over the government's role in the economy.

The book examines politics, race, class, gender, and the approach of war, presenting a key period of crisis and change in U.S. history.